Catalyst - Boontalyst

This build is unrated.

Focused on: Control, Support and Condition cleanse

Designed for: WvW GvG

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

Overview

Boontalyst provides massive outgoing condition cleanse with strong boon, aura support and utility.

Skill Bar

Dagger/Focus

Dagger/Focus

Utility

Skill Variants

Utilities

• You can switch either Conjure Earth Shield or Signet of Earth for an 'stunbreak' skill if needed.
• You can switch Signet of Earth for Conjure Lightning Hammer to give it to an DPS player

Elite

• Conjure Fiery Greatsword is taken for the sole purpose of granting the 2nd ground FGS to an DPS player to pick it up and benefit from its damage skills
  • The Catalyst can use its skills, specially Firestorm to quickly generate Energy as it hits 10 targets and Fiery Whirl as it behaves as a combo finisher.
• "Tornado" for the extra CC and downstate disruption.

Specializations

Template Code

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Equipment

Head
Celestial

Shoulders
Celestial

Chest
Celestial

Hands
Celestial

Legs
Celestial

Feet
Celestial

Backpiece
Celestial

Accessory
Celestial

Accessory
Celestial

Amulet
Celestial

Ring
Celestial

Ring
Celestial

Dagger
Celestial

Focus
Celestial

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Celestial

Focus
Celestial

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Rune Variants

• Rune of Superior Rune of Durability viable replacement

Usage

General

• As soon as you get 25 stacks of Sigil of Superior Sigil of Bounty and get out of combat, swap back to the set without it
• Unlike most builds in WvW, Dagger/Focus boontalyst can be played with a skill rotation for each attunement
  • Breaking the rotation to survive is fine, breaking it to try and access more healing or condition clear is usually suboptimal
• Fire Attunement
  • Go in Fire Attunement to proc Sunspot and share the Fire Aura for allies through Smothering Auras.
  • Transmute Fire for the cleanse and Might
  • Fire Shield
  • Use the rest of the kit (2,3,4) in the meantime while you wait for Transmute Fire to be available. Specially Flamewall on top of the enemies to generate Energy.
  • Transmute Fire and leave
  • Make sure you're close to your group when leaving Fire Attunement to proc Pyromancer's Puissance, it has a short range
• Air Attunement
  • Shocking Aura ⇒ Transmute Lightning
  • Arcane Brilliance as combo finisher on top of a combo field, like Deploy Jade Sphere, to proc Elemental Epitome
  • Transmute Lightning
  • You can fit the rest of the kit between each transmute aura usage, Swirling Winds to destroy projectiles like Deathly Claws, Gale for single target lockdown and Air Sphere for pulsing Quickness and Fury.
• Water Attunement
  • Comet on the the enemy target for the CC, damage to build up Energy
  • Frozen Burst as combo finisher on top of a combo field, like Water Sphere, to proc Elemental Epitome and share Frost Aura
• Earth Attunement
  • Earth Sphere for massive Resistance and pulsing Protection
  • Earthen Rush or Magnetic Wave as combo finisher on top of a combo field, like Earth Sphere, to proc Elemental Epitome
• The order is not important to the rotation, roughly prioritize in this order, but change based on needs:
  • 1. Water Attunement - healing and cleanse
    2. Air Attunement - anti-melee CC, projectile hate, single target CC, single target Glyph of Renewal
    3. Earth Attunement - personal survivability, AoE CC, AoE Glyph of Renewal

Skill Rotation

• Start the fight in Air Attunement

1. Shocking Aura ⇒ Transmute Lightning
2. Fire Attunement
3. Transmute Fire
4. Fire Shield
5. Water Attunement/Earth Attunement/Air Attunement
6. Use skills 2 through 5 as needed
7. Prioririze spending your Energy with Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth) and Deploy Jade Sphere (air)

Overall Priorities

High

• Glyph of Renewal
• Condition clear
• Aura/boon share

Moderate

• CC

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has moderate mobility skill access
• This builds has low active defenses
  • Be careful about attuning into Earth Attunement, since you'll lose access to Obsidian Flesh after leaving it

Active defense priority

• Magnetic Wave - for Immobilize
• Dodge
• Burning Speed
• Earthen Rush
• Obsidian Flesh

Detailed Explanations

Glyph of Renewal

• Focus on reviving allies who are far away with Glyph of Renewal, don't waste the skill on players that can be hand rezzed.
• Use Glyph of Renewal in Air Attunement on single players and Earth Attunement on multiple players
  • If you can't be in a good position, don't cast in Air Attunement
• Under General Options / Combat/Movement turn on Allow Skill Retargetting and set Ground Targetting to Instant Cast, this will make Glyph of Renewal cast at the location your cursor is at the end of the cast, instead of where you initially targetted

Condition clear

• Most of your condition clear is tied up in attunements by Smothering Auras, so conserve

Condition clear priority

• Fire Attunement - Sunspot + Smothering Auras
  • Transmute Fire - Smothering Auras
  • Fire Shield - Smothering Auras
• Water Attunement
• Air Attunement
  • Shocking Aura
• Earth Attunement
• Using a combo finisher skill within any field will grant an aura.

CC

• Use your CC when:
  • Your group calls a spike:
    • Winds - Winds of Disenchantment
    • Wells - Well of Corruption+Well of Suffering
    • Shades - Desert Shroud
    • Traps - Procession of Blades+Test of Faith
  • On top of enemy downs (while alive players are on top of them)
  • Enemy groups moving defensively while your group is pushing
• Earthen Rush is one of your strongest CCs, but be careful using it since leaving Earth Attunement locks you out of Obsidian Flesh
• Gale is great for picking off players left behind their groups and following up on other CC
  • Make sure to check the targets boon bar for Stability
• Magnetic Shield while inside Conjure Earth Shield for the CC
  • Press Magnetic Surge for the Magnetic Aura share right before ddopping the conjure.
• The Immobilize from Signet of Earth hits from 1,200 range.

CC priority

• Magnetic Shield
• Earth Attunement
  • Earthen Rush
  • Ring of Earth
• Air Attunement
  • Transmute Lightning
  • Shocking Aura
• Water Attunement
  • Comet

Settings

• Under General Options / User Interface check Always show squad health bars and Always show party health bars. These will make it much easier to keep track of who needs your support.
• Also under General Options / User Interface turn on Thick party health bars
  • Thick squad health bars can be used too as a matter of personal preference, but is not recommended for large numbers
• Under Squad Options uncheck View as a grid. This will allow you to keep track of your allies' boons, conditions and health, enabling a better decision-making and skill management.